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Post your library

I like to post a couple of sentences if there's something in particular about a book that I like or dislike. Example:

http://www.librarything.com/work/book/36524305
http://www.librarything.com/work/book/39683482
http://www.librarything.com/work/book/33935909 (possibly my most extensive review)

Okay now I am totally lost. I clicked on the "Blind Faith" review and then clicked on "will I like it" and Library Thing said I would probably not like it. When you click on the "?" it gives you a link to the "more contents" page that I am starting to fill out for each book I read. This is where you can post more information about the book, like the opening line, characters in the book, awards the book as won, who is the book dedicated to. What this all has to do with weather or not I will like the book I am looking at is beyond me.

Is it like the magic 8-ball thing? How did it know who I was when I looked at Arthwillpott's review? Yes I am signed in but on another tab. Please explain?

Susan
 
Hey thought I'd give it a go. This is the book pile from my desk, not necessarily representative. :)
http://books.google.com/books?uid=33...393473&rview=1
ETA: Yes I really am that boring. And oddly enough, I realised i have not read a novel in years...

Your book selections don't look that boring, some look very interesting. But CJ you are using Google. Most of us left Google for Library Thing which is 100times better.

As far as not reading novels, not sure if you just had a light bulb moment and realized it, and are quite happy with that, OR are you wanting to start reading novels? I find some balance is a good thing.

There has been times when I just can't get off a subject (British History) or an author (Agatha Christie, Asimov) and nothing else looks good and when I try something else I guess I pick something too similar and end up comparing the new book to the old ones and keep finding fault.

I finally went to the library and just selected any book off the shelf and read it. Actually it helped me a lot, kinda jolted me a bit and I read about some odd topics I would have never have selected. Now that I'm in Graduate school of course I have to read what they assign you to read. And you better understand it and be prepared to discuss it in class and in your writings.

But during my break I read about 4 books out of my massive stack of fun books. Most were from TAM6, and one on Spirit Photography. Now I'm back to American Colonial History. Actually that is where I should be at this moment.

You know what is really fun and quick? A young adult book, some are great and really bring me back to when I read it first. I love the Tripod series by John Christopher, I tried re-reading the Narnia series this year and hated them. I think maybe someday I will try the Hobbit again, nothing like a long adventure with dwarfs to make you forget about work.

Anyway, CJ, your books look really interesting, not boring at all. If you are fine not reading novels, then wonderful. On the other hand if you would like to pick up something great I'm sure we could suggest a few.

Susan
 
That's interesting. LibraryThing has a new "Will You Like" feature that estimates whether I would like a particular book or not. I checked out the page for Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers and it says that I "Probably won't like" it.
I read most of this by skimming it in bookshops, to avoid buying it. While I am sure it will be another top seller, I tend to think (as I have said before) that there isn't a whole lot in Gladwell's books. :)
 
"Who Moved My Blackberry" (novel)
"Unjust Rewards" (politics, social science)
"The Black Swan" (maths, economics)
"Blink" (social science) (since I know Arthwollipot has read this)

Well done reviews.

Susan
 
Thanks for the advice chaps - I like reviewing books,and this could be a really useful research tool. I'll check out Librarything! I only tied the google one as it was mentioned in Francesca's opening post...

As someone who has spent much of my life working in research btw, I'm always open to looking up things for other people, or lending books if they are hard to get hold of. Do ask if there may be something in a title that interests you!

The HP Lovecraft is fiction, short stories - it's work related actually - but m not reading novels is not intentional. I have read a few in the past - all of Jane Austen when ill back in 1996, (odd choice for a chap maybe!), and all of Elizabeth Gaskells' works - Mary Barton has a bodycount which makes Rambo look tame! Any recommendations for good modern novels?

cj x
 
Well done reviews.
Haha thanks. I wrote two more just now, for "Capitalism & Freedom"--Milton Friedman, an "Just Law"--Helena Kennedy. They seem to take me a good 20-30 mins each to do though (more if it's ages since I read the book which it is for the second one of those) so I'm going to have to do this rather gradually.
 
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cj.23 - I have the "Why Intelligent Design Fails" but haven't read it yet.

You can click the link in my signature for my books. I think LibraryThing is a much superior system for catalogs and reviews, but it does cost something once you have more than 200 books. I don't remember what it is, though.

Francesa, did you take Organic Chemistry in school? I noticed you have the same text as I.
 
Do you? Oh well I will decide whether to do that or prune the collection if it gets to 200. I've certainly wasted money on barely used online subscriptions before.

Yes my degree is in chemistry (not just organic). Morrison & Boyd was a first year text. There's another one I have (Solomons) that is almost the same. I think about half my chemistry books have US authors. I never threw my degree books out. Some students sold theirs on

Francesca's chemistry shelf (not likely to review these)
 
Do you? Oh well I will decide whether to do that or prune the collection if it gets to 200. I've certainly wasted money on barely used online subscriptions before.

Yes my degree is in chemistry (not just organic). Morrison & Boyd was a first year text. There's another one I have (Solomons) that is almost the same. I think about half my chemistry books have US authors. I never threw my degree books out. Some students sold theirs on

Francesca's chemistry shelf (not likely to review these)

I started in chemistry, but tested out of the first year of general chemistry courses, and started with organic and physical chemistry courses. And one semester short of finishing, I switched to chemical engineering. I didn't keep my p-chem books, however, as I found that the ChemE thermodynamics courses actually covered everything. In fact, I found that I understood p-chem better after taking the chemical engineering thermo class.

I understand about the subscriptions. I went ahead and bought the 'lifetime member' which IIRC was about two years' subscriptions. I had been looking for a way to catalog my books, for insurance purposes if nothing else, and this one seemed to fit my needs rather well.
 
sidetrack/ you basically get a BSc called "chemistry" at a UK uni whatever you specialise in. The first and second years of my course were all fixed and a combo of inorganic, physical, organic and analytical stuff, then in year 3 you choose modules and research projects. I did mostly organic ones in year 3 but my degree is chemistry the same as everyone else on my course. Chemical engineering is a separate degree from the start (you could probably have transferred after max 1 term, after that you would have to start over) and it was a 4 year course with one year on an industry placement. I worked at a plant in summer 95 for the 3 month vacation./

I will check LTs cost when I'm at a PC. So far it is quite good for ideas about stuff to track down; a lot of the time I do that by getting a book mentioned in another one that I have, or I read reviews in "The Economist" (which are not just economics of course--actually that is where I heard of "The God Delusion" some time in '06 shortly before I joined here) or sometimes Amazon lists prove useful. I picked up eight new books for xmas and my birthday (which are a week apart) and have finished 4 so far.
 
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I joined the lifetime at LT also. Can't remember the price but it was under $50. I think it was money well spent as I use LT all the time. In fact I am staring at two new books I have to log. I have something like 13 books to read for my Colonial History class I am taking in a couple weeks. Ahhhhh! I'm just over half way done with the first book, and it seems every day another book arrives that I ordered off Amazon.

I refuse to join anything that requires a monthly service fee. One lump payment for life or no deal. (just in case anyone out there lurking needs that info for their new venture)

Susan
 
CJ I just finished reviewing (ok it has been a few months now) the Houdini book and Britians.

You have quite a few books on Borley Rectory, never heard of the place. Is there any significance why you have so many on this one place?

We share 5 books, but what is odd, it does not list the Houdini book we share in common? I went back and made sure my library had the book and it does. Wonder why? We better not start having problems like with Google (what a nightmare).

Susan
 
CJ I just finished reviewing (ok it has been a few months now) the Houdini book and Britians.

You have quite a few books on Borley Rectory, never heard of the place. Is there any significance why you have so many on this one place?

We share 5 books, but what is odd, it does not list the Houdini book we share in common? I went back and made sure my library had the book and it does. Wonder why? We better not start having problems like with Google (what a nightmare).

Susan

I enjoyed the Houdini book and added a few notes to the review on the forum here which I think was yours. Great isn't it? I wonder why it soes not show up - I guess might be different editions or something, but it really should...

Borley Rectory was a classic purported haunting of the 1920's and 30's. My personal interest is that I was born and lived much of my life within a few miles, and interviewed a few elderly folks about their memories. My grandmother remebered being amused by all the press on it, but the closest she ever got was delivering lemonade to the doorstep of the place. I actually own several more - it's a complicated and fascinated case -- but I have not got round to listing most of my books yet. :( I just ran out of time tonight...

cj x
 
I think you have done amazing work in the short time you have been logging them. I keep a journal of my books that I have read. So it took me awhile to log all my books with all the reviews. Now as soon as I read the book, the review goes up within a day or so. This way I am always on-time.

That Houdini book not showing up is really bothering me, I think I might just post a question on their site. I also want the answer to the question I asked a few posts ago about this new recommending thing. Being different additions should not matter, as some books have tons of additions and it still shows up.

No one every show me another site as I don't want to have to fall in love with it and have to transfer it all over!

Susan
 
Boy I am not getting done what I'm supposted to be doing today (reading for school).

But you have to see this is the coolest thing I have seen in a long time (except maybe my iphone)

I have to get around to this soon. But not today!

Susan
 

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